The Use of De and A

James Gilcher
 DE
The preposition de has a variety of uses and meanings in Spanish and is notes
a relationship between two words. Some of the most common meanings
involve possession, origin, and quality.

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Possession
De is most commonly used to note possession of an object, just like we use the
English word of or an apostrophe to show that something belongs to somebody.
Examples:
Rachels Backpack La mochila de Raquel
This is my girlfriends bottle. Esta botella es de mi novia.

Origin
De can also be used to show someone or somethings origin, such as what
country, state, or city they are from. In this instance, de is the equivalent to
words like of or from.
Examples:
Im from the United States. Soy de los Estados Unidos.
I have a friend visiting from Ecuador. Tengo un amigo visitando de
Ecuador.

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Material and contents
The preposition de can be used to tell what something is made or full of, like a
deck of cards or a wooden box.
Examples:
The wooden floor Es piso de madera
I have a shirt made of cotton. Tengo una camisa de algodn.

Time
De can note a general time when something did or will happen, like when En-
glish speakers use the word at.
Examples:
The company creates the technology of the future.
La empresa crea la tecnologa del futuro.
The burglars come at night.
Los ladrones vienen de noche.

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Quality
De is sometimes used to say that something has a certain quality or is of
quality.
Examples:
The car is high quality. El coche es de alta calidad.

Reason
Finally, de is used to tell a reason why something happened. Because of this, or
due to that. This construction is used with an infinitive verb.
Examples:
She got a bad grade because of not studying.
Ella sac mala nota de no estudiar.
He became an excellent athlete from constant practice.
Se hizo atleta excelente de practicar constantamente.

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Using de before el
When using the preposition de before the masculine article el, we combine the
two words into one. Instead of de el, we say del.
Examples:
Joes cousin is from the country.
El primo de Jose es del campo.
The worker borrowed the bosss hammer.
El trabajador pidi prestado el martillo del jefe.

Idioms using de
There are a number of idioms and verbs that use the preposition de but dont
have a direct English translation.
Examples:
De vez en cuando, de cuando en cuando From time to time,
De veras Actually
De pronto Immediately
De repente suddenly

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 A
The preposition a is used to show relationship or movement as well as in some
other special grammatical instances, such as before an infinitive verb when
talking about a person.
Movement
A is commonly used to note movement to a destination, just as we would use
the word to in English.
Examples:
Were going to Roberts house. Vamos a la casa de Roberto.
Jordan walks to the park every Sunday. Jordan anda al parque cada
Domingo.

Time and scale

A is used before you state a time or temperature much like the word at in En-
glish.
Examples:
Mark leaves at eight thirty. Marco sale a las ocho y medio.
Its thirty-two degrees out. Est a las treinta y dos grados.

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After certain verbs
A is used after a number of verbs before the infinitive or noun that follows
them. Not all of the verbs have an exact English equivalent, but generally we
use a between a conjugated verb and an infinitive like we would use the word
to.
Examples:
Michael learned to play the guitar. Michael aprendi a tocar la guitarra.
My brother began to sing. Mi hermano empez a cantar.
Verbs that are used with a:
Aprender a to learn
Asistir a to attend
Ayudar a to help
Empezar a to begin
Ir a to go to
Volver a to return

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Means
A is used to note how something is done, such as arriving on time or traveling
by train.
Examples:
Andrew arrives on time every morning. Andres llega a tiempo cada maana.
She sewed the shirt by hand. Ella cosi la camisa a mano.
The band traveled by plane. La banda viaj a avion.

Price
A can be used to state the price something is being sold for.
Examples:
The store sells them for ten dollars.
La tienda las vende a diez dlares.
You can buy them for five dollars online.
Puedes comprarlas a cinco dolares en linea.

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Personal A
The preposition a is used before an object in Spanish if the object is a person.
Adding a is not necessary when the object is a regular noun, but when the
noun or pronoun is referring to a person you need to add a before. This rule
also applies to any object that is personified.
Examples:
I found a ball in the bushes. Encontr un baln en los arbustos.
I found Steve in the living room. Encontr a Esteban en la sala.
I know your uncle well. Conozco bien a su tio.

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Using a before el
As with the preposition de, when we use a before the article el we combine the
two words into one and say al.
Examples:
Im going to the market tonight.
Voy al mercado esta noche.
I attend the evening service every Saturday.
Asisto al servicio de la tarde cada sabado.

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